Rosemary Beach 2015

5 years, 29 weeks.

"The only thing better than being away, is being together."

It had almost been 3.5 years since we were there, and we were due.

We had originally planned on renting a beach house back in August when Mike and Gen told us they were all coming to spend a couple of weeks here for Thanksgiving break.  We searched VRBO for one that would accommodate 3 families, with enough space for 10 people to move about without bumping into one another.  Location was key, but another big factor besides space was pricing.  Even though it was currently low season when it comes to house renting, the prices were a little bit steep when you include taxes and fees such as cleaning.  We found a 3 story, 3000 sq.  ft. house rental in the Panhandle that was a steal of a deal, and when we realized that Tangie was going to be in Pensacola for work that week anyways, we decided to book it.  She would drive the 1.5 hours to meet us there; we, on the other hand, would have a 7 hour drive.  We had been to the area before, but the others had not, so we were excited for them to experience it.

Our 3 story rental in the Seacrest community.

And so, the fun began.  Planning, preparing, packing.  It was a busy but exciting week for all of us, and especially for the children.  They kept talking about it and sharing it with their classmates, friends, and teachers.  They were sad to miss out on their class Thanksgiving party on Friday, since they were going to skip out for the day, but nevertheless excited to go to the beach house, to spend time with the grandparents and their California cousin.  They were excited to see Mommy too, as she had left for Pensacola on Tuesday.  Meanwhile I buried myself in my tasks, preparing for the trip as well as getting the house cleaned up and ready to go.

Friday morning I did my final sweep of everything and then it was time to go.  We needed to drop Tuxedo off at the pet resort in Oakland on the way out.  We had originally thought of taking him up with us, but all the rental houses had a non-refundable pet deposit plus fee, and then that would limit our freedom to come and go as we please while we were up there.  And who knows what sort of damage he would do to the baseboards there, so we just decided to eliminate the risk and book him at a boarding place.  And at $35 per day for 5 days, it wasn't going to be cheap.  The kids were a bit sad leaving him behind; I, on the other hand, was ecstatic as could be.

Heading out and packed to the brim.  Tux thought he was coming along too!

Checking him in at the pet resort.

Sullen faces after leaving him behind.

The drive up was uneventful.  I set the cruise control to 75 and just stayed in the middle lane, avoiding speeders and slow drivers alike.  Again, we had the Grodack's topper, and it was packed to the brim, so I made sure to just keep at a steady pace, the minivan being weighted down to capacity.  We made a couple of stops for bathroom breaks, and hooked up with the grandparents and Uncle Mike on I-10, as they had started from Avon Park early in the morning.  We chatted and munched on some snacks before heading back out again for the 2nd half of the journey.

Kohlden with Carter showing that safety comes first.

Hooking up with cousin Preston at a rest area!  Hooray!

Braelyn and Uncle Mike chatting together.

The 2nd leg was mundane and boring, lots of trees, highways, and state roads.  We kept in touch with Tangie and continued to let her know of our progress and location, so she could time herself to leave Pensacola and meet us at the Ft. Walton Beach Int'l Airport where she would drop off her rental car.  And we couldn't have timed it more perfectly, as we got there with enough time for me to take the kids into the terminal to use the bathroom, and walk outside just as Mommy arrived.  We were so excited to see her!  After loading up her gear we headed towards our final destination, 30 minutes away.

Just keeping the car on cruise and staying in my lane!

They kept busy with their tablets in-between a couple of movies.

Finally made it to the airport!

Mommy pulling up in her Toyota Corolla rental!

She still had to keep working though, getting on a conference call.

The house was nice and spacious, with all the amenities available that we would need for the next few days.  The decor was a sporadic collection, nice pieces but really didn't blend well together.  The theme of the house was supposed to be a martini lounge, as I'm guessing the owners enjoy the famous cocktail, based on the wall ornamentations and paintings.  And maybe a fan of James Bond too, as the house was aptly named "Shaken Not Stirred".  In any case, it was very nice and again, we knew we had landed a great deal with the price.  And even more so, when Lolo and Lala announced that they were covering the entire rent for all of us, as their Christmas gift to the families!  What a great surprise and gesture!

Finally arrived!

Helping to unload the gear.

The twins couldn't wait and started riding their bikes immediately.

The house had 3 floors:  The kitchen, dining area, main common area, laundry, and grandparents' room (with private entry) on the first floor.  The second floor had the kids' bunk room and the California Isidros' bedroom suite, and the third floor was our bedroom suite, a small kitchenette area, and a large covered balcony with a picnic table.  The view from up top was fantastic, and it reminded us of why we love the area so much.  After getting all of our gear in the house, the girls made a quick trip to Publix for last minute food items, before we all settled in for a hotdog dinner and Friday night bonding. We were spent.

The sisters-in-law catch up in the kitchen.

Double bunk bedroom for the kids.

Panoramic view from the 3rd floor balcony.

Maddy and Preston share hugs.

Catching up with the parents while the mommies and girls went to Publix.

The more you know, the more you Kohl's.  Right Lala?

Watching our first sunset, the color was amazing.

I felt head and shoulders above my little brother...

Lolo cutting up one of his prized jackfruit.  That was the word of the trip:  jackfruit.
We must've said it [and eaten it]  a million times on the trip.  We got so jackfruited out.
But it was so good.  For the record…jackfruit.

Supper of hotdogs, potato salad, and baked beans.

Gathering around and sitting anywhere.

It was nice to have a table large enough to accommodate us all.

Night time visit to the community pool.  The water was chilly!

Watching a Veggie Tale movie before turning in.

Sabbath morning was a lazy one; we all took our time getting up and getting ready.  Lolo and Lala had "Sabbath School" with the grandkids in their room as we prepared breakfast:  we had eggs and bacon while we watched Forest Lake Church's  Thanksgiving service online.  Our drama club kINd was performing an acrostic play on the word Thanksgiving, and we wanted to show our support of watching our friends participate.

Learning about the 5 loaves and 2 fish miracle.

Daddies doing daddy duties.

Watching our friends perform online.

Preston felt he needed a closer look!

The girls playing soccer in one of the grassy fields near the house.

After breakfast Mommy, Uncle Mike and I took the kids on a bike ride through Rosemary Beach and Alys Beach, letting the kids play in a grassy knoll to get some energy out, hooking up with Lolo and Lala who had gone for a walk and explored the beach and surrounding neighborhood.  The weather was fantastic and only a high of 73º for the day; the temperature would drop immensely overnight and with it bring some chilly weather.

Getting ready for our first bike ride.  5 beach cruisers came included with the house rental!

Just giddy being on a bike there.

Riding through the residential streets of Rosemary Beach, admiring the architecture.

Through main street, getting a Swiss feel of the place.

On one of the village greens, going to see the beach.

And there it is!  Our first view of the water.

Found a fun little playground for everyone to play in for a few minutes.

Back on our bikes, heading the opposite direction towards Alys Beach.

Found another fun grassy knoll with undulations to roll down in.

Got a couple of good shots of the cousins together.

This one was fun to set up.

Lolo braving the surf.

It was chilly!

Met up with the grandparents who took this group shot.

Enjoyed riding bikes with this one.

We had Indian for lunch and naps ensued.  It was dark by the time most of us got up, as sunset there happened at 4:45 due to the Central Time change.  I had gotten up from my nap a little earlier than everyone else and proceeded to bake some fresh chocolate chip cookies from the dough I had procured from Jennifer Bergherm before our trip.  Something about fresh from the oven makes them taste so much better!  Anyway, we all loaded up and headed out to Seaside, a cute little town about 8 miles west, where they were having a free performance of The Nutcracker in the amphitheater bowl right in the middle of town.  We joined several thousand people on blankets as we enjoyed the music and ballet dancing, bringing in the holiday season.  Afterwards we walked around Seaside and enjoyed the lights and hidden walkways, playing with the kids in the dark until some security guard told us that we (the kids) were being a bit too loud as some residents preferred quiet at that time of the evening.  Whoops!  After a quick night walk on the beach we headed back home and capped the evening with game night and Scrabble, with Lolo coming out as the winner!

Lala and Braelyn took over the love seat.

Braelyn enjoying fresh warm cookies!  She was the official taster of each batch!

The outdoor amphitheater in Seaside.  What a great venue.

California Isidros enjoying the show.

They had to get their feet in the water!

Fortunately there were places to clean up...

and a Lolo to help carry him!

Relaxing at one of the many sitting areas.

Group shot before returning back home.

Game night, twins start with dominos.

Uncle Mike playing Uno with the kids.

Getting ready for our Scrabble competition.

Sunday was our beach day, even though we awoke to a chilly and very windy morning.  A front had come through overnight, so it was overcast to start the day, which made the whipping wind feel that much colder!  But we did pack up for the beach, since this was supposedly a "beach trip" right?  So we pressed on with our plans, with some adjustments, namely, wearing layers of warm clothes on top of our swimsuits!  

Maddy getting love from Uncle Mike and Auntie Gen.

Lolo setting up some games for the beach.

Fashion model ready for the beach!  You might need to get more layers Missy!

We had the beach pretty much all to ourselves, since no one else seemed brave [or crazy] enough to come out on such a cold morning!  It was nice in the direct sunshine; we didn't need our canopy shade so I guess I packed it up for nothing.  And despite the chilliness of the wind and water, it didn't deter the kids from getting in halfway and playing around.  Lolo and Lala had prepared some organized games for the kids, including tug of war (with yarn…um…), sack races, egg toss, and eating grapes without using their hands.  The kids had a blast, especially when Lolo would dole out the cash prizes for the winners and runners up!  

The crew lugging our gear.

Nobody for miles!

Immediately went to play!

Setting up our base camp.  Just a gorgeous, cloudless sky.

Lala and her ever present iPad recording EVERYTHING!

Getting the Tug-O-War ready.

And they're off!

Preston having a blast, bringing in the rear!

Balancing on ball on a spoon using only their mouths.

Even the dads got in on the action!

Grape eating contest, Lala's point of view.

and my point of view.  There's Lala!

Lolo and Brae do a foot race.  Guess who won??

A blindfold version of Marco Polo.

Lolo doles out the cash!

Maddy making sand angels.

Trying to reconstruct a whole sand dollar from hundreds of fragments.

Constructing a sand fort.

Maddy on a giant ant hill.

Group shot.  What a lovely day.

We had leftovers for lunch back at the house and then our family was out again for a bike ride through town.  We had rented a 3 wheel beach cruiser for Lala so she could join us and ride through Rosemary Beach, while Lolo and the California crew stayed behind for naps.  We spent some time on our ride wandering through the streets and playing on the village greens, finishing the ride with some hot chocolate at the Sugar Shak.  It was starting to really cool down once the sun dipped behind the trees and homes, so we headed back to the house to get ready for the evening activities.

Twins playing nice together on their tablets.

Brae and I picked up Lala's tri-bike.

Ready to roll out!

Back through the streets of Rosemary Beach.

Playing soccer with Brae on the village green.

Some fancy footwork!

Kohl wanted to try out Lala's bike!

Enjoying the bench swing while the kids play.

Riding into town.

At the Sugar Shak, you can get 16 scoops of ice cream and 45 toppings for only a Belly Ache!

Enjoying their hot chocolates.

Continuing through town en route to the house.

Sunday evening was a treat from the grandparents, as Lolo and Lala were kind enough to take the kids for us and were treating us to dinner as well!  It was adults' night out, so we went "restaurant hopping" ~ going to 3 different locations for different food/menu items!  Our first stop was for our main course, sushi.  Then we went for dessert at the The Donut Hole, which we thought only served donuts, but lo and behold, it was actually a sit down restaurant with a full menu!  I guess they are known for their donuts though, hence its namesake.  Lastly, we ventured back into downtown Rosemary Beach to La Crema for some cheese fondue and chocolate lava cake.  We had a great time sharing stories and catching up with each other. 

Afterwards we took a brisk (and I mean brisk, because the temperature was down to 47º) around main street, ducking into The Pearl, which is Rosemary Beach's iconic hotel, very recognizable from all of the town's marketing and advertising.  It has a Northern European feel about it and has a great courtyard and pool area, and we took a few photos there.   We arrived home to all the kids in bed, so we settled in with a movie to end the day.

A small, cozy sushi place.  The rolls were very tasty!

The Pearl Hotel at night.

The picture doesn't do the surrounding courtyard justice.

Great to be able to spend time with these two.

Monday was our last full day there.  We were bummed that our stay was almost over!  We had a hearty breakfast of croissants and biscuits, and then Lolo and I took the kids over to the clay tennis courts, while Mommy and Lala stayed behind at the house.  Mike and Gen took Preston on a bike ride through Rosemary Beach and then joined us at the tennis courts afterwards.  We had a great time, trying to teach the kids how to swing; the adults even had a chance to play a game of doubles as well.  We headed back for lunch and then we got ready for family pictures in the afternoon, settling in a couple of places for some nice backdrops for our Christmas cards.

Heading to the tennis courts via Alys Beach.

Kohl getting the swing of things, no pun intended.

Action shot!

Maddy quickly picking up her game!

Trying to remember how to play, it had been so long.

The ride back home.  Preston enjoyed coming on the bike trips.

Returning Lala's bike back to the rental shop.

Maddy working on her dominoes.

Testing the frigid pool water!

You'd be crazy to get in it!

Rolling around the terraces of the grassy amphitheater behind the pool.

Meanwhile, Braelyn continued washing out her shell collection.  

Trying to catch a nice shot of the kids takes a lot of work behind the scenes! 

Hope to get at least one good shot of these guys!

The kids take over from behind the lens.  Preston says, "No moving please!"

And then it gets silly.

Capturing the grandparents on the beach at sunset.

Playing Simon Says, trying to get some candids.

Great to have a talented photographer in the family!  Thanks Uncle Mike!

Auntie Gen and Preston at sunset.

We went out together as a group for supper; Tangie found a really good pizza joint on Yelp, voted best pizza on 30A.  We ate to our hearts' content, and then headed back to put the kids down for the night, with only Braelyn staying up to watch the adults play Scrabble and keep score, Lala coming out on top as the winner.  Seriously, these retired folks can really play.  It was past midnight before we turned in to bed, making final preparations and starting the packing process.

The crew at Bruno's Pizza for supper.

Brae and Mommy get photo bombed by some bug eyed dude.

Maddy turns into a clown at night.

A very serious Scrabble game!

She made it past midnight and then crashed hard!

Tuesday morning we continued packing and making sure we didn't leave anything behind.  The departure checklist was pretty simple, but we still wanted to make sure we left everything clean and in place.  One great thing about keeping renters and owners in good standing through VRBO.   We even had enough time for one last bike ride through town, which the kids thoroughly enjoyed.   

Organizing and packing up her shells.

Final bike ride through town.

We swung by our beach house rental from 2012, The Warmth of the Sun.

Admiring the architecture and ivy from one of the many gorgeous Rosemary Beach homes.

Riding under a pergola!

One for the road, polishing off the milk.

Final group shot in the living room, under the eye of the ballerina that watched over us every day.

The drive back home was long and tedious.  We got caught several times in pockets of holiday traffic on I-75 as people were starting to make their way to their destinations for Thanksgiving, which made the drive back even slower, coupled with losing an hour as we entered Eastern Standard.  We had all caravanned together for the first part of the drive, and then split up as Lolo and Lala were a bit faster in their car and were going to check in to their hotel in Orlando; they would spend Thanksgiving with us but we had a full house so they opted to get a hotel for the next couple of nights.  We finally arrived back home, tired but happy.

Everyone zonked out.

The boys hugging it out.

Giving Lala a hug as we all separate.  

See you in a couple days!

Randoms:

Whoa.  Gas just got real expensive!

A neat place.  Literally.

LOVED the homes in Rosemary.  These especially, overlooking the village green and the beach beyond.

Rosemary Beach post office and town hall.

This was Monday morning!

Quote:

• Driving back home from Rosemary Beach, the kids were watching Dolphin Tale 2.  In one of the scenes, a girl was crying:

          Girl in movie:  "I miss Panama."

          Me:  [to kids]  "Who's Panama?"

          Brae:  "She's a dolphin that died."

          Me:  "Why?"

          Brae:  "Because she was over 40 years old."

          Maddy:  "And it is what it is."

          

We had an amazing time together.  I know it was very nostalgic for the grandparents to have their kids and their children all together under one roof, but it was also very special that we were able to do it all in a fantastic location and house.  The time we had together, however short it was, will last forever in our minds and memory, as we were all able to gather together to laugh and play and strengthen our bond as family.  

And we can't wait to do it again soon.

Isidro Family Reunion, Rosemary Beach, Fl, 2015.